Considering the many, many industry shake-ups that defined the year, it’s easy—perhaps too easy—to feel pessimistic about the future of TV news. That’s why TVNewser decided to dedicate the last day of 2024 to spotting the green shoots that may bloom in 2025.
As a companion piece to our 2024 lookback, we asked insiders at all the major networks to spring forward and share some positive vibes heading into the new year by answering two questions.
1. 2025 is poised to be a year of big changes and challenges for the news media. What makes you optimistic about the industry as the calendar turns?
2. Complete this sentence: “Our resolution to viewers in 2025 is…”
See their responses below.
Chris Dinan, executive producer of ABC News’ World News Tonight
1. The industry has shown its resilience time and again across a wide variety of challenges, some of which could hardly have been imagined in years past. The success of World News Tonight with David Muir makes it clear there’s a strong and growing demand for high-quality journalism. So that, along with the daily dedication of the journalists I work alongside each day, is a constant source for my optimism.
2. Our resolution to viewers in 2025 is to continue a long legacy of excellence and dedication to delivering the news accurately, fairly and in context, so that every minute spent with World News Tonight—or any ABC News program—is the best possible use of our viewer’s valuable time.
Naja Nielsen, digital director of BBC News
1. A positive byproduct of the spread of misinformation and disinformation is that news organizations are being forced to be more transparent and rigorous in their reporting. To address this, we have launched BBC Verify in both the UK and the US, and the enormous, overwhelmingly positive response from our audiences tell us we are meeting an important need for many.
As an industry, we are placing greater emphasis on fact-checking, cross-referencing sources, and providing context to our audience, which is incredibly important as we rebuild trust with consumers. One of our mantras is that trust must be earned and if you know how it’s made, you can trust what it says.
2. Our resolution to viewers in 2025 is that we will remain committed to delivering real journalism done by real journalists. Our strength is our many journalists, that report from everywhere, talk to everyone and have deep expertise in the fields they are reporting on. That gigantic teamwork by extraordinary and committed journalists is what makes us able to pursue truth with no agenda and cover breaking news as well as uncovering investigative reports with impartiality, accuracy and transparency, day in, day out, 24/7 and across the world.
David Reiter, senior vice president of CBS News 24/7, Special Events, and Special Projects
1. 2024 showed us the challenges and opportunities we face. I like to focus on the opportunities. I’m optimistic about the strong momentum we have with CBS News 24/7 streaming network, and the opportunity to grow our audiences by expanding the number of live hours we offer every day and making sure the best of CBS News shows up on streaming too.
2025 is going to bring hugely important events—and there will be plenty of moments to reimagine and experiment with how we bring valuable information to our viewers across platforms. I’m optimistic we will continue to show up—even when it’s hard—to fulfill our responsibility to viewers. In a time of huge change, there’s one constant – being in news media is never boring!
Shawna Thomas, executive producer of CBS Mornings and CBS Mornings Plus
2. Our resolution to viewers in 2025 is to not make assumptions or jump to conclusions. We will take what is happening in the world, report on it, and take the time to help the audience understand the news by providing the context it deserves. As a network that provides broadcasts, as well as a streaming news channel, to the public for free, we have a responsibility to multiple things. We must report the news and help people understand the why behind that news.
Now, I admit that a lot of that news can be depressing, but the beauty of a morning show is we have the time to add context to the hard stories while also showing people the pockets of joy and hope that exist all around them every day. We can make you smarter and we can leave you with hope. We pledge to do both.
Dan Colarusso, senior vice of president of business for CNBC
1. I’m optimistic for the media industry in 2025 because I think it has come to grips with the economic realities and the behavior of audiences and will embark on projects and products that truly empower audiences.
2. Our resolution to viewers in 2025 is, quite simply, to report on the fulfillment, or lack thereof, of the promises made by CEOs and politicians. Rhetoric and passions will be running hot, but there’s a big gap between those factors and how people, investors, and employees need to adapt. That’s where we plan to be, with force.
Jay Wallace, president and executive editor of Fox News Media
1. There will always be new stories to be told and no shortage of journalists who want to tell them—no matter the new challenges of technology or consolidation.
2. Our resolution to viewers in 2025 is to be in more places, covering more hours, and on more platforms than ever before.
Matt King, vice president of news for NewsNation
1. The 2024 election made it crystal clear: America wants something different. At NewsNation, we often talk about the public’s desire for a ‘disruption of norms.’ Viewers are tired of legacy. We see this hunger for change as an opportunity to grow. The mission should be to give a voice to the issues that really matter to Americans without bias. Authentic, unfiltered reporting told through a transparent lens. These are the facts as we know them, this is how and where we are getting our information, and here are some voices that can provide perspective so you can decide for yourself. What makes us optimistic about the state of journalism? The fact that Americans will always seek out information. That will never go away. We look forward to being a source for these viewers.
2. Our resolution to viewers in 2025 is to provide a transparent and fair voice to the stories that really matter to Americans.
Sara Just, senior executive producer of PBS News Hour Productions and senior vice president for WETA
1. There is no doubt that there are reasons to be worried about the news media as we look ahead to next year. But I continue to be optimistic that our country needs to rely on factual reporting in order to understand our world and hold those in power accountable. There will be adjustments and trials and errors in figuring how to sustain that work, but I don’t doubt how much factual journalism is needed and appreciated.
2. Our resolution to viewers in 2025 is that we will keep doing the work that has defined PBS News for 50 years and that is reliable, trustworthy, factual, fair, curious reporting from here and around the world.
Matt Simon, vice president of Scripps News
1. Promises of massive change from the incoming Trump administration will provide a renewed opportunity for Scripps News to prove its value to news consumers—both via our national distribution and through that of our local stations. We are hyper-focused on deepening the meaningful integration between our national and local newsrooms to give viewers the fullest possible picture of what is happening across America. We will open 2025 with some exciting announcements about new show launches and content partnerships, more of which will come throughout the year ahead.
2. Our resolution to viewers in 2025 is to remain focused on our mission of providing comprehensive, integrated national and local news coverage that provides an independent point of view of the biggest events across America, while embracing technological advancements and adapting to industry changes.
